The present invention relates to a slide connector, particularly to a slide connector that is connected to a wearable device.
In recent years, so-called wearable devices in which terminal devices such as various sensors and communication devices operate as being worn by a user have attracted attention. Such a wearable device is electrically connected to a device like a measuring device or a power source to transmit detected information or receive power supply. While electrical connection can be established via a connector attached to a garment, the connection via the connector has to be disconnected when the wearable device is detached, when the garment is washed, and on other occasions.
To cope with it, for instance, a snap button connector has been used to establish connection between devices as disclosed in JP 2015-135723 A.
As shown in FIG. 44, the snap button connector disclosed in JP 2015-135723 A includes a male snap button 2 attached to first cloth 1 and a female snap button 4 attached to second cloth 3. The first cloth 1 and the second cloth 3 are made from conductive cloth, while the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4 are formed of a conductive material. When a convex portion 5 of the male snap button 2 is inserted into a concave portion 6 of the female snap button 4 and pressed with two bar-like springs 7 of the female snap button 4, the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4 are electrically connected to each other, whereby the first cloth 1 and the second cloth 3 are electrically connected to each other via the male snap button 2 and the female snap button 4.
Electrical connection of a wearable device can be made using the snap button connector as above, and when the wearable device is detached or the garment is washed for example, the electrical connection via the snap button connector can be disconnected by separating the male snap button 2 from the female snap button 4.
In the snap button connector of JP 2015-135723 A, however, since the entire male snap button 2 and the entire female snap button 4 each function as a single electrode, connections of a plurality of wires would require attachment of as many snap button connectors as the number of the wires to a garment, which hampers miniaturization of a wearable device.
Aside from that, while the connector needs to be thin because it electrically connects the first cloth 1 to the second cloth 3, the snap button connector of JP 2015-135723 A has the configuration in which the convex portion 5 of the male snap button 2 is fitted in the concave portion 6 of the female snap button 4 in the direction orthogonal to a surface of the garment, and this is disadvantageous from the standpoint of reducing the connector in thickness.
Further, in electrically connecting the first cloth 1 to the second cloth 3, it is necessary to firmly push either the male snap button 2 or the female snap button 4 down to the wearer's body from above the garment, and this should be a burden on the body.
In addition, the snap button connector of JP 2015-135723 A does not have waterproof structure even though it is a connector to be attached to a garment in use, and thus water may enter the contact portion between the convex portion 5 of the male snap button 2 and the concave portion 6 of the female snap button 4. Accordingly, there is a problem in that, even if the connector is only slightly exposed to water in a living environment, an attached water drop easily causes a short-circuit at the contact portion.